


Do Ordain and Establish

by minimalistfurniture



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Politics, American Politics, F/F, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-20
Updated: 2017-08-22
Packaged: 2018-12-17 23:43:38
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,969
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11862117
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/minimalistfurniture/pseuds/minimalistfurniture
Summary: Waverly and Nicole make their way through an average day working as White House senior staff. Don't worry, this West Wing AU exists in the lovely fantasy world I like to imagine in my head where we have a progressive Democrat in office.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So I started coming up with the idea for this and then realised it was basically the plot of an episode of the West Wing so I decided to just go with it! (Thank you Aaron Sorkin and sorry for stealing two lines of dialogue) If you're curious it's the episode Five Votes Down which is totally awesome TV if you (like me) need some a distraction from the odious garbage dump of racism and bigotry that is the current President. If you like political AU's you should check out my other fic, By Hand or By Brain which is set in the UK and is definitely more factually accurate. Thanks for reading and let me know what you think! Obviously, I don't own the characters or settings ect.

 

     The buzz of the alarm on her bedside table woke Nicole up earlier than usual. The sun was just starting to barely peek over the horizon and the muggy humidity that accompanied every summer in DC had not yet settled over the city. Outside, Dupont Circle was silent, only a shadow of a breeze coming through the open window. She groaned and blearily rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. There was something poking into her between her shoulder blades she realised, only half awake. Sprawled out on her stomach was not the most comfortable position to sleep in but, for some reason, it seemed to be the one she always ended up in. With Calamity Jane sitting in between her legs she almost resembled a starfish. The thing poking into her upper back shifted slightly. Waverly's nose. Her girlfriend was lying half on top of her back, face pressing into her, arm around her waist and leg resting on top of her hips. Again, not the most comfortable sleeping position Nicole had ever been in. It was so hot they had kicked the blankets off in the night, Nicole's standard boy shorts and tank top feeling uncomfortably sweaty where they made contact with her skin. Even more so where Waverly was clinging to her. She tried to stand up from the bed without disturbing her girlfriend but, of course, in shuffling her legs around she accidentally kicked the cat who leapt into the air in surprise and jostled the bed's other inhabitant.

     ‘Huh… Silly cat…’ Mumbled Waverly before closing her eyes again and readjusting her grip on Nicole.

     ‘I’ve got to get up baby.’ Murmured Nicole, vaguely attempting to extract herself from the bed.

     ‘Too early.’ Was all the respace she got back, muffled due to the smaller girls face still being pressed into Nicole’s back.

     ‘I know but I said I would show those kids who won the academic prize around the West Wing, remember?’

     ‘You are entirely too nice.’ Huffed Waverly, rolling on to her back and staring forlornly at the redhead who was now sitting up and looking for a pair of socks in her bedside drawer.

     ‘Don’t give me that look. It’s not like we would have slept much longer anyway, it’s already quarter to five.’ Nicole commented, standing and stretching laughing at the puppy dog look on her girlfriend’s face. ‘I know what you’re trying to do and it won’t work. Just because you like to use me as a pillow does not mean you cannot go back to sleep without me in the bed.’ Nicole leaned over and kissed Waverly’s forehead quickly.

     ‘Fine’ Huffed Waverly, pulling the blankets up around her and scooping the cat up to cuddle. ‘I guess I’ll just have to use CJ as a replacement, you’re practically the same person after all.’

     ‘How do you figure that?’ Asked an amused Nicole from where she was standing in the doorway of their bedroom.

     'Well besides from the obvious difference in species, you’re both the same colour. You both give good cuddles, right CJ? Admittedly you are slightly better at holding a conversation but I feel like you both share a deep love and appreciation of cheese in all of its forms.’

     ‘Well, I'm glad you find me slightly better to talk to than our cat Waves.' Commented Nicole. ‘And, just a heads up, if you ever speak to me in that ridicules baby voice you use with her, we will never have sex again.’ She turned to leave and Waverly called after her in a high pitch simpering tone.

     ‘Awwww, poor thing. Is my cat voice a turn off for you baby, is it?'

     ‘Fuck off’ Laughed Nicole from across the hallway, shutting the bathroom door behind her and stepping into the shower.

     Twenty minutes later she was back in the bedroom, dressed in one of her her normal work suits and holding a portable mug of green tea. She leaned over a snoozing Waverly and kissed her temple gently before getting up to leave.

     ‘Are you going?’ Asked the smaller woman, making Nicole jump.

     ‘Yeah, I'll see you later.' She whispered into the silence of the room.

     ‘I hate going to work without you.’ Responded Waverly, sitting upright in bed now, yawning and rubbing her eyes.

     ‘I know, it really sucks. Though I do have to say I think it’s probably a good thing we take separate cars, there is only so much Dave Matthews Band a girl can take.’ Nicole tried to make a joke out of the situation. Keeping their personal and professional lives separate was indeed becoming taxing. It was something they had agreed on at the beginning of their relationship three years ago when they were still working on the President’s campaign. It seemed pertinent at the time, not knowing whether their relationship would last and not wanting to distract from their presidential bid. Of course, settled in their jobs and a little over half way through their first term in office and it was now a little late to announce to all of their colleagues at the White House that they were in a serious relationship. Most of the time Nicole hoped that if she just didn’t think about it then she would never actually have to deal with the problem. So far, this strategy was not going well. Waverly was sick of hiding, Nicole could tell, she had been dropping subtle hints to the other senior staff for a couple months, all be it unsuccessfully. They had been labelled ‘gal pal’s’ and there was now absolutely no getting away from it. It was a known fact that the Nicole, the Press Secretary and Waverly, the Deputy Chief of Staff were bosom buddies. No one had any idea how accurate that description was.

     ‘Well if you’re going to go, at least give me a proper kiss first. I haven’t brushed my teeth and the cat has just accidently put her litter covered paw in my mouth.’ Waverly said, grinning up at Nicole adoringly.

     ‘Such an enticing offer.’ Joked the redhead, leaning over the bed and bringing their lips together. ‘I love you.’ She murmured, going back in for a second quick kiss and straightening up.

     ‘I love you too.’ Sighed Waverly, watching her girlfriend head out the door of their apartment.

 

 

 

     After Nicole had left Waverly went through her own morning routine. It was a quarter to six when she left their house, suit immaculate and carrying her own travel mug of coffee as she fished around for her car keys. Once she was on the road, Dave Mathews crooning through the speakers, her phone rang, cutting through the noise. Picking up she held it between her ear and shoulder precariously.

     ‘What’s up David?’ She asked, swerving around a slow moving car who promptly flipped her off.

     ‘Are you driving?’ Asked David Klein, the White House’s Communications Director, through the phone.

     ‘Yes.’ Answered Waverly, distracted as she narrowly missed a red light.

     ‘Jesus.’ He answered back in a monotone voice.

     ‘Hey, my driving is not that bad!’ She griped back. ‘What did you need?’

     ‘There is no easy way to say this Earp but, we lost three votes.’

     ‘What!' She shouted back, breaking harder than she should have, the car behind her stopping just in time to avoid a collision. ‘How the hell did that happen?’

     ‘I’ve just had a call from the Whip, three Democrats have jumped ship.’

     ‘Well who?’ She asked, ignoring the car horns honking behind her behind her.

     ‘I don't know yet. By the time you're here I'll have their names. Please don't cause a major traffic incident.' With that, he hung up. Waverly gritted her teeth and turned around to shout at the car behind her out of the window.

     ‘Honk all you want asshole, some of us have manners!’

     This was really not good, she mused on the rest of the drive over. They had been working on House Bill 802 for months now. Its purpose was to limit and control the sale of automatic and semi automatic weapons on a federal level. Needless to say, it had proven very hard to get even this far with, so many members of the House not wanting to support something so potentially controversial or go against the NRA. Losing just three votes meant the bill would die on the House floor. God, what a shit-show she thought as she pulled in to the parking lot. Quickly locking her door, she dashed through the entrance to the West Wing and scanned her ID card. Sometimes she liked to take her time, marvel in the reality that was her job. Working as a member of the President’s senior staff was everything she had wanted from life, to actually help change the country and to do it in such an amazingly historic building too. That feeling never went away. However today she ignored it, pushed it aside in favour of hurrying over to her office.

     The West Wing of the White House is always bustling, no matter what time. It was barely six in the morning but people were coming and going like it was midday. The only time Waverly had felt a piercing stillness surrounding it had been at four in the morning when she had stayed late one night. It had so bothered her that she now made a habit of sleeping under her desk during that time if the situation called for her to work through the night. Sometimes Nicole would be there too, both surrounded by the same problem to fix and they would go to a late-night diner just to get away for a little bit. It had become a routine now, Nicole would get an Oreo milkshake and half it with Waverly, who would get a slice of pie and half it with Nicole. They would sit in sleepy silence together, Waverly loved just sitting with Nicole.

     She dropped her bag off with her assistant Moira and headed straight to David’s office to find him hanging up the phone.

     ‘Wilson, Perez and Shaw.’ He stated without her even having to ask a question. ‘Slippery basterds, Wilson told me personally he would commit to the bill.’

     ‘Fuck.’ Sighed Waverly, sitting down heavily on a chair opposite his desk.

 

 

 

     Nicole turned the corner on the first floor of the West Wing and strode through the door of the Roosevelt Room, a crowd of elementary school kids and chaperones following behind her and hanging on her every word. There is a long meeting table in the middle of the floor and several pieces of art hanging on the walls. Altogether, it wasn’t the most impressive thing these kids had seen but Nicole is determined to make it all thrilling to them.

     ‘So, can anyone tell me why this is named the Roosevelt Room?’ She asked with a beaming smile at the assembled group. At least ten hands shot up.

     ‘Because of President Roosevelt.’ Answers one girl from the back.

     ‘That’s right, thank you Amanda. There were actually two President Roosevelt’s, Theodore and Franklin, the room is named for both of them. But that guy there in the portrait over the mantel is Franklin, he is the President who first built the Oval Office across the hall. Before we called it the Roosevelt room it was called the Fish Room! Franklin Roosevelt kept aquariums and mounted fish in here. And you know what, so did President Kennedy. It is only called the Roosevelt Room now because President Nixon changed the name. Now we usually use it for meetings which aren’t very interesting I’m afraid.’ Just as she was about to ask if any of the kids had questions the door swung open and a harried looking Waverly strode in.

     ‘Um, Nicole can you take a break?’ She asked, looking uncomfortable around at all of the kids now staring at her. Nicole sighed, there must be another damn emergency.

     ‘Guys, this is Waverly Earp, our Deputy Chief of Staff, she is in charge of a whole lotta things here. Now, I’m going to hand you off to Macy, an awesome White House tour guide and you guys are going to head across the hall and into the Oval Office. Who knows, the President might even be there. She is usually working at her desk by now so fingers crossed!’ With this Nicole waves goodbye to the clearly enamoured children and follows Waverly out the door. ‘I hope this is important Waves, I was actually enjoying playing tour guide.’

     ‘It’s very important.’ Sighed David, joining Waverly and Nicole as they walked.

     ‘We lost three.’ Bit out Waverly, rounding the corner into her office and shutting the door.

     ‘Shit, who?’ Asked Nicole, leaning heavily on the corner of the brunette’s desk. She noticed a framed photo of the two of them hiking in Big Bend, honestly how did their coworkers not pick up on their relationship she marvelled.

     ‘Wilson, Perez and Shaw.’ Answered David.

     ‘This can’t get out, we can’t look weak in front of the press.’ Instructed Waverly firmly, looking straight at Nicole.

     ‘Well obviously.’ The taller woman responded, rolling her eyes. ‘The last thing we need is another screw up in the House. Ok, let’s think, we need to bury this story so we have enough time to talk those assholes back round to voting with us. Worst case scenario we have the Vice President break a tie.’

     ‘I would like to avoid bringing in the VP at all costs.' Sighed David, rumpling his strawberry blonde hair and sighing heavily.

     ‘Yeah because he is a fucking liability and the President hates him.’ Bitched Waverly, subtly touching her hand to the leg Nicole had dangling off the side of the leather topped desk. Nicole blushed and winked at her girlfriend before bolting up as an idea struck her. Every year the White House released Financial Disclosure Reports for all of its staff, the content of which included stock portfolios, large transfers, purchases and gifts. I was never huge news but it was always pretty well covered by the press, sometimes things that were dug up were humorous and occasionally they managed to find a little bit of financial discrepancy. I was the perfect cover.

     ‘We use the Financial Disclosure Reports!’ She exclaimed, ‘They were meant to come out next week but they’re all ready to go. If we release them now we can use it as a distraction while you try and wrangle those wayward Representatives.’

     ‘You are a genius Nic!’ Exclaimed Waverly, throwing her hands in the air and breathing a sigh of relief.

     ‘Ok, so it's currently 7am, I have a press briefing in three hours. If we release them in the next half hour that gives us all enough time to read through the reports and find anything the press might ask about.’

     ‘I’ll head over to Alex’s office, I want him to explain the situation to the President. I think she would probably take it better if it came from the Chief of Staff instead of us.’ As he was heading out the door he turned to quickly say, ‘Great thinking Nicole.’ She grinned. There was something to be said for the stressful working environment of the White House, when you found a solution to a problem it made you feel on top of the world.

     ‘Right, I’ll send out the reports as soon as we get the go ahead from POTUS. Now’s the time to let me know if you’ve bought anything silly.’ Joked Nicole, standing up from Waverly’s desk and following David out the door.

     ‘You'll have to comb through my report and see for yourself, Ms Haught.’ Waverly winked back.

 

 

 

      Two and a half hours later later Waverly and Nicole, were sitting together pouring over the papers and getting Nicole prepped for her imminent press briefing. It was too much to cover alone so they had roped some junior staff into compiling quick notes for them.

     ‘Listen to this, David got given a 1000 dollar jacket from an ex-girlfriend last month.' Nicole commented, chuckling.

     ‘Oh my god I know, and did you see the President spent nearly 3000 dollars on artisanal dog food. I wonder what the press will make of that, probably nothing good.'

     ‘Hey, I’ve not forgotten that cat tree you bought. 500 dollars Waverly! You told me you picked it up for 25.’

     ‘Well CJ likes it, doesn’t she? And I knew you would flip out if I actually told you how much it was, hence the very small untruth that I may or may not have told. And must I remind you that _I_ didn’t spend a cumulative sum of over 2500 dollars at Home Depot.’ Nicole snorted at this, shaking her head at Waverly and reaching across the desk for a sip of coffee.

     ‘Over the course of this year I refurnished those cabinets for you, sanded and varnished our hardwood floors and installed new lighting fixtures, I know for a fact you were impressed. Don't pretend you don’t like the sight of me wearing that tool belt.’ Joked Nicole, watching her partners face turn red at the mental image. ‘Now, do you see any potentially problematic investments?’

     ‘Not yet.’ Sighed Waverly, ‘Doesn’t mean there aren’t any though. Alex’s stocks in Apple did super well this year, jeez, I might ask him for some advice. And that money Gina invested in a tech start-up is gone but judging from the rest of her documents, she’s not missing it too much.’

     ‘Ok, well my press briefing is pretty much now, I should head out. Hopefully they haven’t picked up on anything we missed.’

      ‘What are you going to say when they ask about the bill?’

      ‘I’m going to say what I would have said anyway. It’s up to you, Alex and David to make sure we don’t flip-flop on this Waves.’

 

 

     Nicole strode out of Waverly’s office and walked with purpose towards the Press Briefing Room. Her assistant Asahi dashed up next to her and passed off a clipboard full of notes. She thanked him while skimming over the papers to quickly refresh the information in her brain.

     ‘I’d expect some tough questions in there Nicole, most of them are talking about the financial disclosures but Fox News has dug up some dirt on Bill 802 so Janet Quill is on the war path.’

     ‘Got it. Thanks for the heads-up Asahi.’

     ‘Also, Nicole,’ He started, as she was about to head into the briefing room. ‘Congrats on that diamond ring.’

     ‘What?’ She asked back, confused, almost tempted to look down at her hands and check.

     ‘I saw it in the reports, you just bought a diamond ring.’ Realisation dawned on the redhead’s face. How hadn’t she seen that? Oh God, what if Waverly had seen it. She took a deep breath, trying to calm her suddenly racing thoughts.

     ‘Um… yeah. Actually, it’s an emerald ring but I guess that doesn’t matter. Let’s make sure that doesn’t get out ok?’

     ‘You got it, boss.' He smiled a knowing smile before heading through the doors. Nicole collected herself quickly before standing up straight and marching into the briefing room. She headed straight for the pulpit and adjusted her papers, looking around at the assembled press. This was Nicole’s comfort zone. Although she carried herself with an easygoing confidence in her everyday life, there was something that really changed when she stepped in front of a group of reporters. She thrived under the pressure and relished the quick thinking required to do her job. She never felt like her lanky ginger self when standing behind the mic, she felt powerful.

     ‘Right then, hello, good morning, when everyone is seated we’ll get started.’ She patiently waits for the shuffling in the room to settle down before starting. ‘I'm sure you’ve all seen the Financial Disclosure Reports by now. Let me just start off by addressing the elephant in the room, I have been informed by the President personally that her dog is a very picky eater so we can move on from what is a perhaps slightly silly amount of money to spend on food.’ A laugh spread around the room in response, Nicole took a deep breath. Time to crack on with the harder parts. ‘There isn’t much up top today, so I’ll move on to questions right after letting you know that The President is indeed still working on her jokes for the White House Correspondence Dinner. I don't have any details on that other than she intends to be funny.’

     After she was done a chorus of people shouting her name broke out amongst the assembled press, as usual. Nicole paused, wondering if she should just pick Janet Quill now and get it over with. But no, it would set the tone for the rest of the briefing, best to come to that at the last possible moment. After several questions surrounding the financial disclosure and a couple of foreign policy shifts, she bit the bullet and called on Janet.

     ‘Nicole, you’ve managed to steer clear of mentioning House Bill 802. I happen to know for a fact you don’t have the votes to pass it. What does the President hope to accomplish in continuing to push her anti-gun agenda that is clearly not even supported by her own party?’ Janet looked smug as she sat back down on one of the blue press chairs. The rest of the press core looked over at Nicole questioningly, waiting for her response. The redhead gritted her teeth, she hated Janet, hated Fox News altogether actually, but she knew it would not do to play favourites.

     ‘The President's goal of this bill is to save the lives of thousands who would otherwise have been lost due to gun related crime. I think we can all agree that is something not worth giving up on when the going gets tough. As for the votes, The House is in support of our bill, make no mistake about that. However, the only way to know exactly how the voting is going to go is to watch it on Wednesday, as I'm sure we all will be. That’s all we’ve got time for today, thanks guys.’ She turns to leave, ignoring the several reporters calling her name. As she starts to make her way back to her office Waverly comes up beside her.

     ‘I was watching on the monitor, well done in there Nic, you really handled that question nicely.’ She brushed her hand against Nicole’s thigh and gave her girlfriend such a beaming smile that she blushed.

     ‘Hey, I know today is pretty full on but do you maybe want to get lunch? We could go to that sandwich place you like and wouldn’t have been gone for more than half an hour if you need to be back.'

     ‘Yeah,’ Responded Waverly, still grinning at Nicole like she hung the stars herself, ‘I would love to. Give me like forty-five minutes? I just need to run an idea by Alex and then I’m all yours.’

    ‘I thought you were mine already?’ Joked Nicole back in a hushed tone.

     ‘Obviously.’ Replied the shorter woman, winking before heading down the hall to the Chief of Staff's office.


	2. Chapter 2

     An hour later they were ambling down Pennsylvania Avenue, sun blaring down on them, already sweaty from the swampy air in the city. Waverly was happy to have a moment away from the manic atmosphere of the White House to collect her thoughts. However, she was now regretting not finding that quiet moment somewhere with air conditioning.

     ‘God, why did we come outside?' Asked Waverly forlornly, ‘It's criminally hot.'

     ‘It's not that bad!' Exclaimed Nicole next to her, sunglasses on and a big smile on her face.

     ‘Not all of us grew up in Texas Nic, you're used to the heat. I'm from the Pacific Northwest, we don't do weather like this. In Seattle, it's just cold and rain. God, how I miss cold and rain.' Nicole laughed in response, holding the door open for Waverly as they headed into the sandwich shop, basking in the sudden blast of cool air from inside.

     ‘What do you want?' Asked Nicole, heading over to the counter.

     ‘Surprise me.' Quipped Waverly, making a beeline to a table in the corner and sitting down heavily on one of the wooden chairs. When Nicole weaved her way back through the crowd with their sandwiches on a tray Waverly reached across the table and took her hand the moment she sat down on the wooden chair. She knew that there was a high likelihood someone from work would walk in and see them but she had recently decided to employ a ‘fuck it' attitude towards people seeing her relationship with Nicole. Three years is really too long to keep something under wraps like that. Nicole squeezed her hand in return and gave her a knowing smile. 

     ‘So, what were you talking to Alex about before we left?’ Asked Nicole, popping open her can of Dr Pepper and taking a large swig.

     ‘Well, I actually know Ryan Shaw, one of the Representatives who jumped the fence on the 802 vote. I asked Alex if I could talk to him, maybe express to him how displeased the President is.' Nicole's face broke in recognition and she laughed.

     ‘You're going to dangle his job in front of him!' Waverly nodded enthusiastically in response, ‘Though, Waves, if that doesn't work, we’ve got no plan B afterward.’

     ‘I know. But I think if we can sway Shaw then Perez will flip too, they are in cahoots with this whole thing, I’m sure of it. Once word gets out that we’re not messing around it’s only a matter of time. Plus, Ryan Shaw relentlessly hits on me at every event we run into each other at, I'm going to put him in his damn place.' Nicole raised her hand for a high-five then, laughing at the enthusiasm from her girlfriend.

     ‘Hell yeah baby, crush that Harvard elite, self-entitled mother fucker!’

     ‘Hey, I went to Harvard too!’ Exclaimed Waverly, feigning a deep indignation.

     ‘But you’re not a total asshole about it like everyone else.’ Commented Nicole, grinning across the table at an exasperated looking Waverly. ‘Anyway, I’m assuming we are going to have the Vice President talk to Wilson?’

     ‘Unfortunately, the President wasn’t super happy when Alex and I told her the plan but she gave her support anyway. If this all works out we’ll have the votes by Wednesday.’

     ‘You mean _when_ it all works out. You’re a power-house Waverly, if anyone can make Congressman Shaw change his mind, it’s you. You’ll have him eating out of the palm of your hand in minutes.’

     ‘Shush, you'll make me blush.' Giggled Waverly. Hearing Nicole complement her ability at work was one of the things that Waverly loved the most. Sure, she knew Nicole thought she was attractive, but knowing her whip-smart girlfriend thought she was intelligent, capable and brilliant in her own right was the highest praise Waverly could ever receive.

     ‘What can I say Waves, you're basically Wonder Woman.'

 

 

 

      Waverly was waiting outside the Capitol Building for Shaw. She wanted the other members of the House to see this interaction, make all of them see that the White House wasn't messing around. She scanned the steps for him, eyes hidden behind the sunglasses she had borrowed from Nicole after their lunch. There he was, striding over to her with his cocky smile and chunky tie blowing over his shoulder.

     ‘Waverly Earp! To what do I owe the pleasure?’

     ‘Cut the crap Congressman.’ She snapped, ‘We both know the President sent me to talk to you about 802.’

     ‘Damn. And here I was hoping you had reconsidered my invitation to dinner. You know I'm a pretty important guy around here, I could get us a reservation anywhere you wanted.’ He appraised her unashamedly and Waverly suppressed a shiver of disgust. 

     ‘The President needs you to vote yes on the bill Congressman.’

     ‘Look, Earp, I understand that. Try seeing this from my point of view, it’s the right of the inhabitants of my district to bear arms, even if those arms are automatic weapons. I won’t deny them that.’

     ‘You know one of the weapons covered in the bill is a grenade launcher, a fucking grenade launcher Ryan! We are not trying to deprive American citizens of basic weaponry; these guns are for nothing but mass murder. So, I don't buy your bullshit story of ‘rights'. No, you know why I think you won't vote yes? You won your district with 52% of the vote right?’ He nods, surveying Waverly with an air of alarm. ‘You need to raise 10,000 dollars every week you are in office for a re-election campaign and you know what, I bet you're making only about half of that. You're scared of the NRA targeting you and the financial repercussions.’

     He tries to start a sentence stuttering out ‘I, I need them on my side’, before being cut-off by Waverly, who was on a roll now. God, it felt good giving this guy a stern talking to. ‘You are in government to do the right thing for your country, I know you know that this is the right thing. And, with all due respect Congressman, if you do vote no on this bill, you’re not going to even be on the ballot in the next election.’

     ‘What do you mean?’ Asked Shaw, clearly confused and flustered at having lost control of the conversation.

     ‘You won’t even make it past the primary.’ Stated Waverly confidently.

     ‘There isn't another Democrat running against me!’ He exclaimed in frustration.

     ‘Not yet there isn’t. You might have only won by 52% but the President took your district with 60%. So, we’ll find some young qualified candidate we like, put them on the ballot against you and throw a big ol’ party for them. The President will make a personal appearance, land in Air Force One and wrap an arm around them on a stage in front of all of your voters. She will publically endorse the hell out of them.’ Waverly was smirking now, this was going exactly as planned, Shaw getting increasingly nervous as she talked.

     ‘I’m in your own party!’ He exclaimed, raising his voice slightly.

     ‘Yeah well, it doesn’t seem to be doing us much good right now, does it? Vote yes on the bill Congressman, the President is not messing around. And let your buddy Perez know this goes for him as well. The President is a kind and forgiving woman, I am not. If this bill doesn’t pass I’ll make it my personal mission to make sure the both of you are finished in Democratic politics. Have a good afternoon.’ With that she strode away, leaving Congressman Shaw standing, staring at her, mouth hanging slightly open. It was moment's like this that Waverly loved her job. She couldn't wait to give Nicole a complete blow by blow of everything that had happened when they got home that evening.

 

 

     It was 11pm before either Waverly or Nicole were able to even think about going home that night. This wasn’t unusual but it certainly wasn't ideal it certainly did not leave enough time to spend with Calamity Jane mused Nicole as she packed her papers up into her leather satchel and went in search of Waverly. The velvet box in her pocket felt heavy against her leg and she swallowed nervously, self-consciously covering it with her bag. She made her way through the still bustling hallways to Waverly's office and knocked before letting herself in. Waverly was still at her desk, reading glasses on and feet tucked beneath her on her special ergonomic chair.

     ‘Hey superstar, you still busy?’ Asked Nicole, chuckling as Waverly jumped at the sound of her voice.

     ‘Is that my name now?’ She asked in return, taking her glasses off.

     ‘Hell yeah it is, you pretty much single handily ensured the votes for 802 Waves. You are a total superstar, at least in this building anyway.' The brunette blushed a light pink and started to stand.

     ‘I can finish reading these documents tomorrow, let’s just go home. I can’t wait to get into bed. Can we watch the next episode of Great British Bake Off?’ Nicole chuckled at this.

     ‘Whatever you want Wave.' She wrapped her arm around the smaller woman's shoulders as they walked out the doors of her office.

     ‘What happened to being subtle about our relationship?’ Asked Waverly softly, bringing her hand up to Nicole’s waist.

     ‘Fuck subtlety.’ Was her only response, smiling down at her girlfriend. ‘Hey, let's take a quick detour.' Nicole steered the both of them down the hall and past the Roosevelt Room. She paused at the door to the Oval Office and slowly pushed it open.

     ‘Nicole, what are you doing? What if the President is in there?’ Waverly was clearly slightly panicked, looking up and down the hallway for people who might see them.

     ‘The President is in the Residence already and the Secret Service know we are going to be in here, don’t worry.’

     ‘Wait, you spoke to the secret service? What is going on?' She pulled the brunette into the office and flicked on the light. The Oval Office was really something to look at, Nicole was always struck by it whenever she stood in the room. The idea that she regularly entered the Oval Office to speak to the President on her average work day still blew her mind, and she knew Waverly felt the same. She led them over to the presidential seal in the middle of the floor, right in front of the President's desk, and put down her bag.

     ‘Nicole, really, is this some kind of prank? What are we doing here?’

     ‘I love you, you know that?’ Was all the redhead said in response, smiling at her girlfriend with a glint in her eye.

     ‘Yes, of course, I… Oh my God.' Waverly's expression when she got down on one knee was priceless, mouth completely open and hands on either side of her face. Nicole fumbled in her pocket for a second and pulled out the velvet box, popping the lid open and showing it to the brunette. The ring was clearly vintage, art deco in design with a golden band and an emerald stone instead of a diamond. ‘Nicole, oh my God.’ Nicole reached her hands out and took a gentle hold of both of Waverly’s.

     ‘You gotta let me get this out ok?' The brunette nodded firmly, a huge smile on her face and tears already beginning to collect at the corners of her eyes. ‘Waverly, you are the most brilliant woman I have ever met. Even before we spoke, you were magnetic. I never thought in a million years I would be lucky enough to share my life with you, but here we are. The past three years have been like some kind of fairy tale, and yeah work has been amazing, but that fairy tale feeling? That’s all you baby. You make me so ridiculously happy and I promise I will try, every day, to make you feel that too, to show you how special and how loved you are. Waverly, all I want, for the rest of my life, is to wake up next to you in the morning. So, I was wondering, if you might want to marry me?’ By now tears were tracking their way down Waverly’s face, making her makeup run.

     ‘Oh my god Nicole.’ Was all she could manage to get out.

     ‘Is that all you're going to say?' Joked the redhead, an expression of expectation written across her face.

     ‘Of course I’ll marry you!’ Squealed Waverly, flinging her arms around the still kneeling Nicole and hugging her tightly to her chest, slouching forward slightly so that her forehead pressed against the top of Nicole's head. In turn, Nicole brought her arms up around Waverly's waist and smiled into the hug. Although she hadn't thought Waverly would say no she was still nervous to go through with the actual proposal. She wanted it to be something Waverly would remember for the rest of their lives, hopefully she had succeeded in giving that to her. They stayed in that embrace until Nicole started to lose feeling in her legs. As she stood up she gripped Waverly’s hand in hers and put the ring on her shaking finger.

     ‘It’s so beautiful Nic.’ Sighed her new fiancé dreamily, looking down at her hand.

     ‘I guess it suits you then.’ Replied Nicole, giggling.

     ‘You’re such a cheese ball.’

     ‘I’m your cheese ball though.’

     ‘You know, everything you just said, about how I make you happy? I feel exactly the same way. I love you so much, baby.' With this Waverly leaned up on her toes and kissed Nicole, gripping her by the lapels of her jacket. They stumbled backwards until Nicole made contact with one of the two sofas and fell backwards onto it, smiling and laughing into the kiss as they crashed into the cushions. Just as Nicole's hand slipped down past Waverly's waist there was a polite cough behind them and they were brought back to reality with a crash. It was the President. She was stood at the end of the couch by their feet with her arms crossed and a stern look on her face. There was a long, shocked pause before Nicole could process what was going on. In the end, it was her realization that her hand was still on Waverly’s ass that prompted her to move. Nicole bolted upright and started stuttering out an apology, causing Waverly to lose her grip on the redhead and crash face first onto the floor.

     ‘Waverly!’

     ‘Waverly dear, are you alright?' Asked the President, an amused smile stretching across her features as she offered a hand up to the clearly mortified woman.

     ‘Yes, Madam President. Thank you.'

     ‘You might want to clean up a bit. Both of you have lipstick all over your faces.’ Was the only response the President gave before sitting down on the opposite couch and watching Waverly and Nicole awkwardly rearrange themselves, putting as much space as physically possible between each other. Nicole was very close to just burying her head in her hands and attempting to mentally teleport herself somewhere else, anywhere else. She couldn't actually believe that they had been caught making out in the Oval Office by both her and her girlfriend's boss, who just happened to be The President of the United States. Wait, not girlfriend anymore, fiancé. It was that thought alone that caused Nicole to reach all the way over to the other side of the couch and clasp Waverly's hand in her own. She could feel the cool metal of the ring comfortingly on the brunette’s finger.

     ‘I’m glad one of you finally did it.’ Commented the President, ‘It’s been three years girls, I was beginning to get impatient.’

     ‘Wait,’ blurted out Nicole, ‘you knew we were together this whole time?’

     ‘Of course I did, I’m not completely oblivious. Although the same cannot be said for the rest of the West Wing I think.’ She chuckled. ‘I wanted to thank the both of you for your outstanding work today, I hope you know that this bill will pass because of you. You should be proud of yourselves.’

     ‘Thank you Ma’am.’ Stated Waverly as Nicole nodded beside her, not quite keeping up with the sudden shift in topic.

     ‘Now, why don’t the two of you head home for the night? I think we can forget this interaction ever happened.’

     ‘Yes Ma'am. Thank you.' Said Nicole standing up and quickly getting together her bag, anxious to get out of there. Waverly hooked her arm through her fiancé's and they were halfway out the door before the President stopped them.

     ‘Just so you know, I really am very happy for the both of you. I expect an invitation to the wedding.' 

     ‘Of course you will be invited Madam President, we couldn’t imagine you not being there.' Answered Waverly back smiling fondly at the older woman now sitting behind her desk.

     ‘Yeah, you could even officiate!’ Suggested Nicole enthusiastically before Waverly tugged on her arm lightly and pulled her through the door of the office while quietly whispering ‘Not now Honey’.

     ‘I can’t believe you planned all of that.’ Continued Waverly, once they were out of earshot. ‘It was honestly the perfect proposal Nic.’

     ‘I thought you might like it. Now, what do you say we go home and celebrate properly? I have a bottle of bubbly tucked away in the refrigerator.’

     ‘Sneaky! You really planned for everything, God it's like I'm with a romantic super spy.'

     ‘What can I say? Wooing ladies is my superpower.'

     ‘Ladies huh?’ Asked Waverly, smirking as they approached Nicole’s car.

     ‘Maybe it’s just one lady.’ Responded the taller woman, wrapping her arms around Waverly and leaning them into the car.

     ‘It better be just the one. Now take me home Haught, I would very much like to continue what we were doing before I had the most embarrassing moment of my political career.'

     ‘You got it, baby.' Murmured Nicole, kissing the side of Waverly's head and opening the passenger door for her. As she was walking around to the other side of the car she glanced up at the White House, lit up against the night sky. They would be back in less than twelve hours, and Nicole was excited already. Excited to see what problems the new day had for the both of them to tackle. Excited to see what was next.


End file.
